purple finch
A bird species (Carpodacus purpureus). The name is usually written in katakana, as is common for many animal and plant names in Japanese.
The purple finch is a bird that lives in North America.
Standard katakana spelling for this bird name, as is common for many animal and plant species.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
The name combines 紫 (murasaki, 'purple') and 猿子 (mashiko, an old name for certain finches). The exact origin of mashiko is uncertain, but it is used in several Japanese bird names.